Introduction and design
Toshiba's 15.6-inch Satellite L ($529.99, about £259, AU$640), which is intended for students, is designed to compete in a vast market. Excellent laptops, like the affordable Acer Chromebook 15 C910 ($499.99, £249, AU$620) or the sleek, luxurious and expensive 13-inch MacBook Air ($999, £249, AU$620) for example are both capable of providing high schoolers and collegians with enjoyable experiences that are suitable on the go.
Obviously, student laptops come in all shapes and sizes, with different feature sets and performance specs. So, stacking the Satellite L up against a ChromeBook and a MacBook isn't an apples-to-apples comparison.
However, most students don't care how manufacturers classify their laptops. They just want something that can get the job done, and Acer and Apple have set this particular standard. Unfortunately, Toshiba's newest L-Series model isn't quite on par with what we would classify as a laptop that is ideal for student use, but it does have a few nice features that should warrant at least some of your attention.
Design
Built with a textured plastic chassis that's silver-colored with hints of satin gold, the Satellite L is definitely pleasing to the eye. The chassis, which won't show fingerprints or collect dust, is glossy and smooth, and will likely avoid the heavy scrapes and bruises associated with cramped backpacks.
Unfortunately, the Satellite L will weigh your backpack down and take up way too much pocket space. At 4.85 pounds (2.19kg), this behemoth is exactly the same weight and width as the Acer Chromebook, but it's .07 inches (0.2cm) thinner at 0.93 inches (2.4cm). If you're focused solely on portability, neither of these models is ideal. For reference, the diminutive 13-inch MacBook Air is only 0.68 inches thick (1.7cm) at its thickest and only 2.96 pounds (1.35kg).
The Satellite L also disappoints when it comes to displaying content. With a standard HD screen that can be upgraded to full HD and touch-enabled, you're definitely not going to wow anyone with photo or video detail. Even compared to other full HD screens, the Satellite L is unimpressive. What you'll notice immediately is an obnoxious screen glare that is pervasive even when the device is in a room with no sunlight and only a little overhead lighting. Watching a movie comfortably on this device requires perfect angling.
Compared to the Chromebook, which comes standard with a full HD (1,920 x 1,080 resolution) display that is a joy to experience, the Satellite L will make you want to read a book.
Typing on this device is also a chore. I'm not sure whether the device I used was corrupted, or if this is an issue that will plague the entire series, but I found the buttons on the TruType keyboard to be quite sticky and unresponsive. Additionally, the off-center trackpad was inflexible, so I wasn't sure whether my scrolls and clicks registered unless I was actually staring at the screen.
Math and business students will enjoy the number pad, which neither the Acer nor the MacBook features. However, if you need a backlit keyboard for pulling all-nighters, you'd better have some extra coin, as backlighting is available as an upgrade only.
Specifications, performance and early verdict
The Satellite L comes standard with an Intel Core i3 processor that can be upgraded to Core i5. Neither of these processors will provide enterprise-class performance, but both versions are more than capable of delivering enough power to help write term papers.
Because the laptop is slated to run Windows 8.1 and later Windows 10, it will feature a nifty Cortana Quick Key that lets you summon the personal assistant application without requiring it to be in active listening mode. So don't worry about Microsoft and Toshiba listening to and recording your conversations the way Samsung Smart TVs do – you'll actually need to beckon Cortana for her to start getting nosy.
Toshiba says the Satellite is capable of running for a little longer than seven hours, which is decent for a budget notebook. However, the MacBook Air runs for more than 12 hours, and the Acer Chromebook lasts more than a full school day at 8 hours and 48 minutes, according to our internal testing.
CD lovers will enjoy the Satellite's optical drive, which you won't find on many new devices these days. Personally, I'd rather cut out the added heft of a drive, but I can see it being useful in the few rare instances when content isn't available for streaming or download.
If you need ports, the Satellite doesn't disappoint. It features two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI output, an SD card slot and an Ethernet input.
Early verdict
There are dozens of laptops that are suitable for students. They come in many different form factors, heights, weights, prices and styles. Unfortunately, until we test the internal power of the Satellite L, it's hard for me to pan it outright.
However, given its weight, standard Core i3 processor, HD-only screen and unresponsive keyboard, I can't recommend this device as is. With upgrades to the full HD, Core i5 model with 1TB of storage, this laptop begins to approach the middle of the pack of best student laptops. But at that point, this laptop will likely cost too much to maintain its status as affordable.
from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/1GS2BlU
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